American Soldiers Accused Of Raping Iraqi Girl And Murdering Her Family
Five U.S. soldiers are being investigated for the alleged rape and murder of an Iraqi girl and her family:
When I read the details of Pfc. Kristian Menchaca and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker’s torture, I was shocked, horrified, and outraged. And still am. And the act of raping, murdering, burning a girl, and murdering her family outrages me just as much as what those inhuman terrorists did to our soldiers. I don’t know if the allegations against the five soldiers are true or not, but I know human nature and I’d say it’s possible the crime could have occurred.
Regardless of whether or not these allegations are true, this horrific crime will be used to justify continuing attacks and atrocities against soldiers and to enflame anti-American passions in the Muslim world.
Allegations true or not, I offer my heartfelt condolences to the family.
Resources:
Google Maps: Mahmoudiya, Iraq
Update (6/29/2006 1:32pm)
The BBC is reporting that one soldier has confessed to participating in the crime and has been arrested.
Update (6/29/2006 1:54pm)
A big “Whoa” on this story. Yahoo! News is running a story saying the five soldiers are from Tucker and Menchaca’s platoon. Could their brutal murders have been retaliation? And apparently the horrific way they died led one of the five accused soldiers to confess. Big “Whoa”:
“However, a U.S. official close to the investigation said at least one of the soldiers, all assigned to the 502nd Infantry Regiment, has admitted his role and been arrested. Two soldiers from the same regiment were slain this month when they were kidnapped at a checkpoint near Youssifiyah.
“The official told the AP the accused soldiers were from the same platoon as the two slain soldiers. The military has said one and possibly both of the slain soldiers were tortured and beheaded.
“The official said the mutilation of the slain soldiers stirred feelings of guilt and led at least one of them to reveal the rape-slaying on June 22.”
Source: Yahoo! News
Hat tip: Allah Pundit
Update (6/29/2006 2:26pm)
The Jawa Report is sounding off with its take on the alleged crime:
Update (7/1/2006 3:58pm)
More details are coming out today. It is believed that the soldiers studied the family for about a week before carrying out the alleged crime. A soldier that overheard the accused planning the crime later saw them with “bloodstained” clothes.
Source: Washington Post
Update (7/3/2006 7:34am)
The Washington Post has a story up with names of the victims and a few more details about the alleged crime.
The victims are said to be:
Abeer Qasim Hamza,15, raped and shot in the head, body also showed burns;
Fakhriyah Taha Muhsin, 34, killed by gunshots to her head;
Qasim Hamza Raheem, 45, whose head was “smashed” by bullets;
Hadeel Qasim Hamza, 7, Abeer’s sister, shot.
An unnamed military official pointed out one discrepancy in reports about the alleged cime; that is the age of Abeer. She is believed to be 20, not 15.
Source: Washington Post
Update (7/3/2006 4:56pm)
Breaking: Steven D. Green of Marion, North Carolina has been arrested in the rape and murder of an Iraqi girl and her family.
Source: WRAL
[...] OpinionBug: American Soldiers Accused Of Raping Iraqi Girl And Murdering Her Family [...]